About the future of Dutch Archaeology
- From: "Peter Alaca" <p.alaca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2007 21:31:24 +0200
Below are parts of the Englih summary of the foresight
studie 'De toren van Pisa rechtgezet. Over de toekomst
van de Nederlandse archeologie'
('The adjustment of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
About the future of Dutch Archaeology')
Verkenningscommissie Archeologie KNAW (2007)
http://www.knaw.nl/pdf/20061111_summary.pdf
[6 pp 156 kb]
The full study, in Dutch, including the English summary
www.knaw.nl/publicaties/pdf/20061111.pdf
[122 pp, 726 kb]
"There has been explosive growth in the study and practice of
archaeology in the Netherlands in the last few decades and
public interest in the science has increased commensurately.
Over the last ten years, the Netherlands has adopted the
principles of the Valletta Convention (or 'Malta' convention) in
its own unique way. In response to the report De toren van Pisa
(The Leaning Tower of Pisa) (2003), which observed that Dutch
archaeology 'is very attractive, but has lost its balance', the
board of management of the Royal Netherlands Academy of
Arts and Sciences (knaw) commissioned a survey of
archaeological research in the Netherlands.
The survey covered developments in archaeology in the
Netherlands and as practised by Dutch archaeologists working
abroad. It was concerned with both the theoretical and practical
aspects of archaeology and the protection of the archaeological
heritage. The survey concentrated on: - The embedding of the
archaeological sciences; - The consequences of the
implementation of the La Valletta Convention for archaeology in
the Netherlands, and in particular the implications for the
academic practice of the discipline; - Practical shortcomings in
the field of archaeology, particularly in terms of coordination
and communication; - The financing of academic archaeology
in the Netherlands and abroad.
The survey outlined the development of archaeology as a
science. Starting in Europe as a purely cultural-historical
discipline, since the war it has been increasingly influenced by
the natural sciences. After 1970 a new approach emerged in
the Anglo-Saxon world, which was heavily inspired by cultural
anthropology.
Since the 1980s, archaeology as practised in the Netherlands
and by Dutch archaeologists abroad has fallen between the
cultural-historical approach adopted on the continent and the
more theoretical Anglo-Saxon approach, with an important role
for the natural sciences. There are no different 'schools' of
theory or competing streams in the Netherlands at the present
time. The work of Dutch archaeologists, both in the
Netherlands and abroad, is typified by large-scale
investigations of settlements in a regional setting, an activity
that is internationally recognised as a strong suit of Dutch
research.
Although archaeology is largely taught and practised in the
Netherlands in the tradition of the arts and social sciences,
three of the five Dutch archaeological institutes are part of an
humanities faculty (Arts and Humanities), with the inadequate
financial structure which that implies. Moreover, the
archaeological sciences, which matured greatly in the Dutch
institutes between 1950 and 2000 and make a crucial
contribution to the interpretation of archaeological sites, have
been phased out at most institutes."
[...]
"Before the 'Malta' principles were introduced, apart from the
universities only the State Service for Archaeological Research
(Rijksdienst voor het Oudheidkundig Bodemonderzoek), a
number of museums and some local authorities conducted
excavations and research. The de facto implementation of the
Convention assumed a highly unique character, with a
combination of the introduction of market forces and a number
of regulatory and supervisory agencies. Commercial firms now
carry out 90 percent of excavations and most archaeologists
are now employed by these companies, there has been a
sharp rise in the number of excavations and in financing for
them and the mandatory standard reports have generated an
almost overwhelming volume of recent data. Due to the fierce
price competition in an imperfect and artificial market, the
quality of the content of those reports is deteriorating."
[...]
"Finally, the commercial system leaves few if any possibilities
for the universities to compete for contracts to carry out their
own field research and consequently knowledge and
experience are being eroded. The only solution for this problem
is to give preference to universities for particular excavations.
The financial structure should also be changed in such a way
that the huge volume of data generated by 'Malta' can be
properly processed in synthesising studies, which form the
basis for an outstanding impression of the past for a wide
public. The temporary nwo programme Oogst van Malta (The
Malta Harvest) should be continued."
[...]
"Another problem is the low profile of Dutch research at
international level, particularly of the research carried out in the
Netherlands. The archaeologists working abroad are less
affected by this. For various reasons, Dutch researchers are
not cited much in other countries even though the quality of the
research is highly respected.
Finally, there are gaps in the area of research into medieval and
post-medieval archaeology and maritime archaeology. In both
cases, the Dutch archaeological archive provides plenty of data
for such research. In the context of 'Malta' much of the
municipal and corporate capacity for excavations is devoted to
medieval and post-medieval sites."
--
p.a.
.
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